Atrial Fibrillation & Stroke Prevention Management

What is Atrial Fibrillation?

Atrial Fibrillation is a common heart condition that causes your heart to beat irregularly; electricity in the upper part of your heart does not flow correctly and your heart beats out of rhythm. Many patients feel no symptoms and are unaware of this heart condition until it is discovered during an electrocardiogram or physical examination by a health care provider.

Identifying atrial fibrillation is so important because patients with this irregular heart rhythm are more than five times more likely to have a stroke because blood clots form easily when the heart isn’t in sync. The blood clot then travels to the brain, where it can affect the brain getting blood flow ultimately causing a stroke.

Managing AFib and Stroke Risk

Today, a number of treatments including blood thinner medication or Left Atrial Appendage Closure (LAAC) implants like WATCHMANTM are available to protect you from strokes related to your AFib.

Currently, blood thinner medication is the first-choice option for stroke risk reduction. However, over 1/3 of people with AFib feel trapped between the fear of having a stroke and fear of the risks associated with blood thinners. In fact, more than 4 in 5 people with AFib taking a blood thinner (83%) say they would be willing to try a different treatment to help reduce their risk of stroke.

WATCHMAN is a one‑time, minimally invasive procedure that reduces stroke risk without the worries that come with a lifetime of blood thinners.